The World Trade Center Memorial is expected to be one of the most eco friendly areas in the world. Even these searchlights are ran on biodiesel fuel. Flickr user: cattias.photos
It’s been ten years since the devastating 9/11 attacks and last week we finally got an up close look at the World Trade Center Memorial which is expected to be one of the most eco friendly plazas in the world. The tragic attacks resulted in an environmental disaster that would take years to clean up. However after some thoughtful green planning, the area that once was an aperture of destruction has quickly evolved into a green paradise.
The 9/11 attacks is considered the worst environmental disaster in New York’s history. A merciless toxic cloud consisting of asbestos, copper, mercury, lead, sulfur and a host other volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) hung over the city for months. The majority of rescue workers and some lower Manhattan residents developed chronic health problems, including cancer, after the attacks. According to a study, 70 percent of the workers developed various health issues after working at ground zero.
The aftermath resulted in various lawsuits and a number of proposed bills. On January 2, 2011 President Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act which ensures that those affected by 9/11 will continue to receive monitoring and treatment services for 9/11 related health problems through at least 2015. This act also covers the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund which allows those affected to file claims for economic losses due to physical harm or death caused by 9/11.
The World Trade Center is seeking LEED Gold certification. Flickr user: abroadjz
A worldwide competition was launched to figure out what to do with the site once the rubble was cleared. The competition received over 5,200 proposals from 63 different countries. In the end, Michael Arad’s and Peter Walker’s Reflecting Absence project was chosen as the winner of the contest. Arad stated, “We wanted to create a place that remarked on absence but also did so in a way that connected the site back into the life of the city. It’s something that is set very much in the life of New York City. People will be here every day whether there’s visitors to the memorial, or office workers coming down here, or whether it’s neighborhood residents with their kids. It’s bringing the past into the present and saying that the legacy of that day is with us every day. It references to the past, while signaling hope for the future.” What better way to bring hope for the future than by incorporating eco design and planning for a sustainable future?
The new site features two large reflecting pools with 360° waterfalls, which incorporates an advanced rainwater collection system. The main plaza will serve as both a rainwater collection center and a living roof for the museum below. The plaza itself functions somewhat like a giant modified hydroponic flood table, where rainwater drains off into receptacles underground and is stored for use in the two reflecting pools and for irrigation back into the vegetation. The rainwater collection system can accrue almost enough water to independently supply the pools which will be then be recycled.
The new site features two large reflecting pools with 360° waterfalls, which incorporates an advanced rainwater collection system. Flickr user: Nicole Beauchamp
In addition to the rainwater collection, the plaza will include more than 400 trees which were harvested within a 500-mile radius to avoid excessive transportation and limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The trees were all trimmed to exactly 11-feet high, and their roots will help keep temperatures regulated within the museum below. As for the museum itself, rather than remove all of the debris from the collapsed towers, designers chose to use pieces of the buildings, from foundations to the iconic steel cloumns that were left standing in the rubble after the towers collapsed. The decision to leave pieces of the original buildings and use them in the museum is all at once a meaningful, logical, and eco-friendly one. The museum isn’t expected to open until next year on September 11.
The space is seeking LEED Gold certification, and the plaza also meets the eco conscious practices required by New York State Executive Order 11 and the WTC Sustainable Design Guidelines. The new tower, which is expected to be completed in 2013, will be at the forefront of innovation in terms of air quality, energy efficiency, water recovery, and recycling according to the official documents. In fact, one of the new structures already completed features a sophisticated system that generates off-peak electricity and composts paper waste. And the two powerful searchlights that shoot up into the sky and represent the fallen towers…they have been running on biodiesel fuel since 2008.
The attacks on September 11th, 2001 were devastating and we will never forget the innocent lives that were lost on that tragic day. It’s been a long road to recovery, but the World Trade Center Memorial proves that not only is America able to bounce back stronger than before, but we’re also able to do it with a green conscience.
What do you think about the World Trade Center Memorial?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board and I to find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I’m hoping to present something again and help others such as you helped me.
{ 1 trackback }